Octogenarian adds medal

She's 80 years old, but she can out-run and out-throw many an 18-year-old - and now Ngawini Pepene has added yet another medal to her already vast collection of athletics awards.
The Kerikeri octogenarian won silver in the javelin event in the recent World Masters Athletics Championship in Sacramento, California, despite a bout of the flu ruining her training schedule and injuring a finger in a basketball match.
Proud niece Atarangi Norman of Rawhiti, near Russell, said her aunt's latest achievement was all the more remarkable given her injury and lack of training.
"She did it when she wasn't at 100 per cent or in her normal fit state, so it's quite an achievement. She's an inspiration, that's for sure. If I can do what she does when I'm 80, I'll be happy."
Mrs Norman said winning was a bonus for "Auntie Wini", but her real reasons for competing were for fun, the friends she had met around the world, and the sense of achievement.
While many Maori played sport when they were young, few competed in Masters events.
"For years she's been the lone brown face in the Masters. There's still very few, but she's not alone now," Mrs Norman said.
Mrs Pepene medals had long been stored in a suitcase under her bed, until relatives decided it was time to show them off. They now cover an entire wall in her hallway.
She started competing seriously at the age of 50, when she won her division in the Honolulu marathon.
She has competed in events around the Pacific and as far away as Rome and South Africa, and still holds a New Zealand age-group record for javelin set when she was 55. Her pole vault record was broken only last year.
She returned home to Northland 15 years ago and settled in Kerikeri, joining the Kerikeri Striders and Northland Masters Athletics.
After falling ill in 2006 she had to give up the running events, with this year's World Masters marking her return to competitive sport after a five-year break.
More than 60 Kiwis took part but only one other athlete was in the 80-plus division. The oldest woman at the games was a 101-year-old from Australia.
Mrs Pepene's javelin throw at Sacramento of 16.45m was well down from the 28.32m she threw in Melbourne in 1967, but she hopes to be back to her best in time for the Oceania Masters in Tauranga later this year.
Her sponsors include her gym, Rotary, the many gardening clubs she belongs to, Ngati Hine Health Trust, Northland MPs and even a Government minister.
She is also a highly competitive gardener and a regular winner at Bay of Islands P&I Show at Waimate North.